This will be my final “Letter from the Mayor” in The Paper. I have been concerned for some time about the editor’s journalistic practices. He frequently writes stories that are based on rumors, false information, and speculation rather than facts. Escondido has been the target of some of those opinion pieces presented as news. Last summer, when the Union Tribune accused him of plagiarism, a serious issue for a newspaper, he used the unique excuse that it wasn’t plagiarism but an “anthology” or a collection of stories.

The turning point for me occurred just last month. “The Paper” has had a history of publishing jokes that often are in poor taste and offensive to various groups of people in our community. However, the January 29, 2015 issue contained a so-called joke about the sad events in Ferguson, Missouri that was blatantly racist and distasteful. Because this kind of irresponsible and unprofessional journalism does not reflect the values of our great city, I am discontinuing my weekly letters in “The Paper.”

If you are interested in continuing to read my weekly letters, they will appear on the City’s website, www.escondido.org